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Currently, the incidence of kidney failure is increasing worldwide. Hemodialysis is the main method for the treatment of kidney diseases, and the continuous development of new hemodialysis membranes is the key to improve the treatment effect and the quality of life of patients. In this study, heparinized multi‐walled carbon nanotube/cellulose acetate (Hep/MWCNTs@CA) membranes were prepared by non‐solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). The morphology and pore structure of Hep/MWCNTs@CA membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The elongation at break and tensile strength of the membranes were characterized by a mechanical property universal tester. The results showed that mechanical properties of 0.1 wt% MWCNTs enhanced the membrane is best. The water contact angle test confirmed that MWCNTs can improve the membrane hydrophilicity, and combined with the adsorption test results for proteins, it was found that the hydrophilicity can reduce the adsorption of proteins to the composite membrane and improve the blood compatibility of the material. The dialysis performance of urea and lysozyme was tested by a self‐made simulated hemodialysis device, and the clearance rates of urea and lysozyme were 84% and 47.2%, respectively, which showed that the interfacial gap between MWCNTs and CA matrix can make the composite membrane retain a high retention rate of macromolecular proteins (92.3%) and further improved the clearance rate of small and medium molecular toxins. In addition, the good blood compatibility and biocompatible properties of the materials were confirmed by hemolysis, recalcification and cytotoxicity tests on Hep/MWCNTs@CA membranes. In conclusion, the prepared Hep/MWCNTs@CA holds great potential for application in the field of hemodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to high rejection rates and the costly and time-consuming application procedures, small and medium-sized firms may be discouraged from applying for a bank loan, thus resulting in the so-called self-rationing behaviour. Using the World Bank Enterprise Survey Data collected from 2,700 privately owned firms in China during 2011–2013, we document that there exist a significant number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which have good performance and financing needs, but are discouraged from applying for a bank loan. We theoretically and empirically show that digital finance development can alleviate the self-rationing behaviour of SMEs. The mechanism analysis shows that, from the supply side, digital finance development enhances the probability of loan approval and the proportion of private firms' working capital financed by banks, and reduces the obstacle to access bank loans; while from the demand side, the development of digital finance improves financial inclusion and the financial literacy of firms. Our findings suggest that digital finance development improves loan efficiency and helps SMEs better access bank credits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The membrane fouling issue has aroused great concern. To improve their antifouling properties, surface grafting with oxidative deposition were employed to amend a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The modifiers were amino-modified graphene oxide (AMGO), dopamine (DPA) and 1,3-diaminoguanidine hydrochloride (DAGH). To take bovine serum albumin (BSA, 1 g/l) as an example of organic materials, BSA interception rate and pure water flux recovery rate increased to 93.65% and 66.74%, respectively, while the corresponding values for the original membrane were much lower (72.82% and 31.72%). The optimum synthesis conditions were found to be 1.5 mg/ml of DPA, 1 wt% of DAGH, 2 mg/ml of AMGO, 4 h of DPA oxidation deposition time and 1 h of AMGO grafting time. Many functional groups like C = N, -NH2, C = O and -OH improved the membrane surface hydrophilicity leading to a higher resistance to organic pollution. Dopamine and guanidyl facilitated the antimicrobial performance of the modified membrane, whose antimicrobial rate was up to 96%, while the raw membrane had no antimicrobial activity. The amended membrane possessed 40% higher mechanical strength than the initial one. It could withstand a high pumping suction force. The noteworthy property was that the irreversible fouling rate decreased by 55%. Therefore, the amended membrane could restore its flux much more easily. HIGHLIGHTS The graphene oxide, dopamine and guanidine-based composite modification offered high hydrophilic and antibacterial radicals.; The irreversible pollution rate of the modified membrane decreased by 55%, its pure water flux recovery rate increased by twice and BSA interception rate was around 94%.; The antimicrobial rate of the modified membrane reached 96%, while the original one did not display any antimicrobial behaviors.;

UnlabelledHuman norovirus (HuNoV) is a leading cause of foodborne diseases worldwide. High-pressure processing (HPP) is one of the most promising nonthermal technologies for the decontamination of viral pathogens in foods. However, the survival of HuNoVs after HPP is poorly understood because these viruses cannot be propagated in vitro In this study, we estimated the survival of different HuNoV strains within genogroup II (GII) after HPP treatment using viral receptor-binding ability as an indicator. Four HuNoV strains (one GII genotype 1 [GII.1] strain, two GII.4 strains, and one GII.6 strain) were treated at high pressures ranging from 200 to 600 MPa. After treatment, the intact viral particles were captured by porcine gastric mucin-conjugated magnetic beads (PGM-MBs) that contained histo-blood group antigens, the functional receptors for HuNoVs. The genomic RNA copies of the captured HuNoVs were quantified by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). Two GII.4 HuNoVs had similar sensitivities to HPP. The resistance of HuNoV strains against HPP ranked as follows: GII.1 > GII.6 > GII.4, with GII.4 being the most sensitive. Evaluation of temperature and matrix effects on HPP-mediated inactivation of HuNoV GII.4, GII.1, and GII.6 strains showed that HuNoV was more easily inactivated at lower temperatures and at a neutral pH. In addition, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and minimal essential medium (MEM) can provide protective effects against HuNoV inactivation compared to H2O. Collectively, this study demonstrated that (i) different HuNoV strains within GII exhibited different sensitivities to high pressure, and (ii) HPP is capable of inactivating HuNoV GII strains by optimizing pressure parameters.ImportanceHuman norovirus (HuNoV) is a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Noroviruses are highly diverse, both antigenically and genetically. Genogroup II (GII) contains the majority of HuNoVs, with GII genotype 4 (GII.4) being the most prevalent. Recently, GII.1 and GII.6 have emerged and caused many outbreaks worldwide. However, the survival of these GII HuNoVs is poorly understood because they are uncultivable in vitro Using a novel receptor-binding assay conjugated with real-time RT-PCR, we found that GII HuNoVs had variable susceptibilities to high-pressure processing (HPP), which is one of the most promising food-processing technologies. The resistance of HuNoV strains to HPP ranked as follows: GII.1 > GII.6 > GII.4. This study highlights the ability of HPP to inactivate HuNoV and the need to optimize processing conditions based on HuNoV strain variability and sample matrix.